MANCHESTER United chief executive David Gill has demanded that FIFA pay clubs a slice of their earnings from the World Cup.
In the latest development of the club v country conflict, Gill claims it is wrong that FIFA, UEFA and national associations benefit financially from players without the clubs, who pay their wages, receiving any of the money themselves.
Gill is a leading light in G14, the grouping of 18 elite European clubs, and is also on the European Clubs Forum, and he insisted there was widespread support for the move.
The United chief executive claimed the clubs did not expect to have all the wages reimbursed but that FIFA should share some of the spoils.
Speaking at the Soccerex event in London, Gill said: "We believe our players are the assets providing the income. This World Cup will be a fantastic event and produce huge, huge profits and the belief of the clubs is that the assets are being provided for free by the clubs.
"At the moment we have to provide them for free at the request of the countries. Manchester United's view is not that there should be a pound-for-pound reimbursement but we believe there should be a slice of that income that should be distributed to the clubs of participating players on an equal basis."
Gill rejected suggestions that players' values were increased when they became internationals and highlighted United midfielder Kieran Richardson as an example of a player immediately demanding higher wages when he was capped.
Money
"Kieran Richardson played for England last summer in Chicago and did very well but views himself as an England player and comes in and wants more money," said Gill.
"I don't buy the argument that international appearances add value to a player - they come in and ask for more money. We are not a selling club and we seldom sell international players."
FIFA's profits from the 2002 World Cup were é636million but the world governing body say that sum is their budget for the next four years, and provides the income for all their operations, competitions, development and assistant programmes.
Gill however claims that clubs should still be paid part of the profits.
He added: "We recognise that UEFA and FIFA are non-profit organisations but they do not have a monopoly on what's for the good of the game. We put resources and money into our community - indeed we have just announced our own foundation at Manchester United.
"We want a slice off the top, but it's got to be worked out by the accountants and the administrators to see how much is reasonable. It would be improper to say how much it should be at the moment.
"There's no way we as clubs would want to lessen the importance of the World Cup or the European Championships but I can think of no other business where with its key asset - and we spent around é80million a year on wages - we let someone use if for free.
"The proposal is sensible and workable and if all parties look at it with an open mind we can get a real solution."
Gill also wants to see a worldwide system of ensuring players on international duty rather than leave it up to individual national associations.
He said: "Very few countries have insurance, though England do, and you get players who you are paying a lot of money for coming back from international duty injured.
"Louis Saha is on fantastic form for us at the moment but at the start of the season he was injured when he was away with France. That's an issue.
"There should be worldwide insurance for reimbursing wages of players injured on international duty too, perhaps administered by FIFA or UEFA."
What do you make of Gill's comments? Have your say.
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Business, business, contracts, money, contracts, sponsers, negotiations, business, bonuses, sponsers, want our cut bla bla, bla,bla. David Gill I'm sick of you, Malcolm Glazer you are a parasite! please put the FC back into Manchester United Football Club! I just want to watch football and not be ripped off, this game is slowly being ruined by money and greedy men on and off the park!
David Gill like the rest of the G14 is a joke. These clubs are just greedy entities nothing about the good of the game, which ultimately benefits them all. Of course players values rise after doing well in the World Cup - there are literally hundreds of examples of this. If Utd do ever sell Richardson do they think they won't get more for him than they would have done before he played for Englad. I hold these comments of Gill and his ilk in the highest contempt.
Like every Chief Executive, Mr. Gill knows little of what he talks about. Firstly, he speaks as if there are no other sports played at the international level wherein the players involved come from "club" teams. Ice Hockey, Baseball, & Basketball all have international competitions in which the players treat the call up as an honour...Secondly, the clubs involved also view having their players "capped" at the int'l level as an honour. Thirdly, the ammount of income this scheme would bring in is negligible. Want to make more $, Mr. Gill? Spend a few bucks on a decent midfielder so your team can start winning the premiere league again and progress further in Europe than the quarter final knockout stage; don't steal it from the non-professionals around the world who benefit from the support FIFA brings to the national associations. Mr. Gill makes it sound as if business should not involve risks.
What is it with you lot???
And you wonder why everyone hates you...?
Good grief
This is an argument that the clubs and FIFA/UEFA have been having for years and you can see the clubs point of view, If a player sells a club a lot of shirts etc then he will demand image rights in his contract however the national team can call on any of these players to be used in advertising and not have to pay them or the club a penny. the problem is how much the clubs are paid because it is all very well saying the national team have to meet say 25% of players wages for international games but could the african and south american federations afford this.
Gill and people like him will wreck football in the medium to long term. They make you sick.
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To play for your country is an honour & you are 'employed' as a representative. To pull on the red/white or whatever colour we play in today should be a sign of extreme pride, both for the player & the club who can say "that's one of ours out there".
If the player wants to give some of his money to his club then that's fine by me but if Gill thinks the FA/ FIFA / Ruling Body should pay then he really is living in cloud cuckoo land.
This is the same guy who said that the Glazer bid was NOT good for Man U, aggressive & badly-timed. Now he swallows the lies & bids us all we do the same. How does he sleep at night?
no way should clubs get shares of the revnue from germany,david gill is being inconsiderate here how will rooney rio and neville paly there best if there clubs CE is demanding dough.it might ruin this wonderful tournament
I think he got a point here, it makes sense!
Roflmao - is Gill being serious. Man U's transfer (& no doubt balance sheet) values for rubbish like Ferdinand, Gary Neville & his even more useless brother Phil, Wes Brown,Kirean Richardson, Nicky Butt has been hugely increased by their England caps whereas in reality these clowns are completely unfit to wear an England shirt.
I can safely predict that any England side with Gary Neville in it has as much chance of lifting the world cup this summer as Trinidad & Tobago
Why should I pay season ticket money to subsidise England AND other countries? I have been saying for years this is lunacy! If the associations wish to employ the players then let them pay their wages. Tell me any other business that lets their key employers go and work for another company and possibly have their career finished. I wait for the naieve to come on and pretend this is still a sport. Fifa and UEFA are obsessed with making more and more money. Don't kid yourself.
why should fifa pay any money to mr glazer because vidic is playing for serbia glazer owns the club but he does not own any man ifyou are not happy that ronaldo is playing for portugal watch him for real madrid
money money money yawn yawn yawn
That's stupid. Why do clubs want fifa's hard earned money. Plus, then fifa will have to give money to south america and the rest of the world.
This is preposterous. If anyone needs money, then this is not the 10 or 20 richer clubs in the world but all those African or Latin American football federations that produce those players who make us wonder at the magic that they do. Think before you speak, see the bigger picture!
good point Red John, what happens when a clubs player returns from international duty injured. The club still has to pay the player, the player loses his appearance money - everyone is a loser except FIFA and UEFA.
And in some countries the money the associations earn may find its way down to grass roots level. But not in Ireland. We made a ton of cash when we made the quarter finals in Italy, but we still have no stadium and kids are still getting changed in the rain on the side of pitches all over the country.
i see once once again ,the greed of the big clubs .i never heard wenger whinge when he lost half his players to the africa cup ,how many did united lose
Though I do not normally share his views,on this one Red Junior is 100 per cent right.